The Way You Make Me Feel
by PoIsOnEdAfFeCtIoNs
Summary: This story is about a high school transfer student,Bella, who meets a boy at her new school,Edward, and they both fall head over heels for eachother. The story changes P.O.V every other chapter.First Story. AU.AH. Usual Pairings B/E, A/J, R/Em. Read
1. Bella:Conductor

I read the question over and over in my head, _"What is one word you would use to describe yourself?"_ I stared at the bright green paper my new high school wanted me to fill out before my first day of school tomorrow. And oddly enough this was the one question I could not answer. All the other answers came easily to me, _"Where were you born?"_ or_ "What are some of the things you like to do in your spare time?"_ Most people could come up with thirty words to describe themselves. However, I could not think of even one.

My life was extremely complicated as a seventeen-year-old girl. School was a constant chore with homework and tests, let alone having to get up at 5:00 every morning. Plus, it did not make things any easier when I stayed up until midnight perfecting my English paper. I couldn't help that I was somewhat obsessed with doing well in school. However, this obsession did was created from a foundation laid by my father. He was always pushing me to do my best in high school so that I would get into a good college. My dad did not just live for the moment; he lived for twenty years from the moment. He had me in all of the advanced classes, and had researched every scholarship option I could possible apply for by the time I was in eighth grade. Don't get me wrong, I loved him for it, but sometimes it got overwhelming.

Then, I had to deal with not only the work of school, but actually _going_ to school. This involved talking to people, and attempting to blend into the walls to go unnoticed. The social part of school had never been easy for me. I was not exactly outgoing, and I tended to bottle my emotions. Besides being unnaturally shy and clumsy, I did not really connect well with people my age. My mom was always teasing me that I have the maturity of a thirty year old. Therefore, I never really had many friends. My main goal was to get in and out of school without getting involved in the social drama. Of course, I had a few friends, but extending outside of this small circle was virtually impossible for me.

However, my old circle of friends wouldn't be able to protect me anymore. In fact, chances were that I would never see them again. Because on top of school, friends, and all of the other problems a normal seventeen-year-old girl has, my family decided that to move.

It was one thing to move a couple of blocks down, or even a different town. But it was entirely something else to move to a different state. Moreover, it became an even bigger problem when moving involved picking up, leaving your life behind, and moving _six _states away.

I knew I would always miss what I left behind in Florida. Sometimes I wished I could go back one more time just to smell the freshness of the rain as I drove down A1A (**Don't know any freeways in Florida**). I wished I could go back to see the city of Miami just one more time. I never realized all that I had when I lived there. I missed the really good Italian restaurants, and the warm sunny days, and even the grocery stores. All of it.

And for all that I gave up, what did I get in return? I got Sacaton, Illinois. Sacaton! I had not even _heard_ of Sacaton before my parents "sprung" the idea of moving on me. They ensured me that I would just _love_ living in Sacaton. Boy, were they wrong.

What exactly did Sacaton have to offer? Well, first off, it was just about the smallest town in the United States. Every single person in the town knew about every other person. It was actually extremely sad. It seemed as if the people didn't have anything better to do than to sit and talk about someone else. Therefore, naturally, everyone knew I would be moving to Sacaton before _I_ even knew I was moving.

Sacaton also had a Wal*Mart, one gas station, and an ice cream shop. Yup, that pretty much covered it. Oh, yeah, I forgot. During the fall and winter, and sometimes even the _spring_, it got really cold. And it snowed. It _snowed!_ I have never even spent one day of my life in a temperature below 50 degrees. How could I ever survive temperatures below zero (yes, sometimes it dropped below zero)?

To make matters worse, I would have to change high schools. Yes, junior year in high school, I would have to start all over again. It would be like being a freshman only worse. When you were a freshman, it was way easier to start high school, because chances were that you were not the only person who started off alone at the school. After just graduating, kids split off and went to several different high schools, so the odds were that other kids would be without a friend. But no, I was starting as a junior. Everyone already had his or her group of friends. I was the odd girl out.

Besides that, transferring was just a pain. I had to send all of my documentation from my old high school, Sagewood Meadows, to my new high school, Sacaton High. Oh, yes, Sacaton High. Quite a creative name they had there.

My brother, Jacob, but we called him Jake, had it easy. He was entering eighth grade. He only had to deal with middle school for one year, and then he was going on to high school. I had to undergo the challenge of making friends for two years, and then go to _college_.

But my parents insisted that I would get used to things. After all, they said, I had a whole month of summer to get used to things. However, I had fully intended to spend that whole month of summer locked in my new room, listening to music and spending time alone. And that was exactly what I did. Besides, that was, when I left for work. It just so happened that I got a job working at the ice cream shop in Sacaton, known as the Ice Train, during the time that was left of my summer. It also just so happened that when you worked at the Ice Train, you were not called a "worker," you were called a "conductor."

So, as I sat filling out a sheet that would help my teachers "better understand me," I could not think of an answer. As I said, I was not social, and my life was currently in the state of a mess.

The one word I could think of to describe me was, "conductor."

My name is Isabella, though I go by Bella, Swan, and I was a conductor.


	2. Bella: The New Girl

Chapter 2 (Bella): The New Girl

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" I slammed my arm over my head to bang on the snooze button. Five more minutes of precious sleeping time wouldn't hurt.

What seemed like seconds later, "Beep! Beep! Beep!" The alarm clock rang again, and I decided I would eventually have to get up and meet the day. It was finally here…my first day at Sacaton High.

After a deep sigh, I sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I rolled out and trudged down the stairs. Half asleep, I opened the pantry door and pulled out an energy bar, knowing I would need all the help I could get to stay awake at school today. I squinted as my mom, Renee, turned on the light in the kitchen. I felt like a vampire out in the daylight.

"Honey, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm just tired." The words stretched out and slurred as I yawned.

"Things are going to work out just fine at school. I know it. I have a good feeling about this."

"Okay, thanks Mom." Her words were all too reassuring. I was glad for her that she felt good about today. Maybe then, she wouldn't worry about me too much.

I marched back up the stairs in a zombie-like mode to get ready. I searched through my closet for my favorite jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt. Yes, it was only the first week of September, and it was getting cold.

I splashed some cold water on my olive-skinned face to wake up more, and brushed my teeth. I threw on some eyeliner and lip-gloss, and then ran a brush through my hair. It still looked hideous. I didn't sleep well last night, being nervous and restless about the day that would come with the morning. The tossing and turning left my hair irritated and knotted. My hair usually looked pretty good. Its chocolate color was complemented with golden highlights, and it flipped inward with layers. But, of course, today it did not want to cooperate. I thought twice about just leaving my hair…why did I care? Then I decided since it was my first day, I should at least try to look somewhat presentable. I pulled out the straightener to help calm my hair's temper.

I grabbed my backpack, complete with my "I Love Florida" key chain, from the chair in my room and walked back downstairs. As I pulled my car keys from the hook on the wall in the laundry room, my dad, Charlie, walked in to wish me luck.

"Let me know how your classes are," he asked.

"Sure Dad," I answered. He gave me a hug as I walked out the door.

"Have a good day," he instructed. He seemed somewhat worried by my withdrawn attitude.

"I will, Dad. I'm sure everything will be fine." I flashed him a smile to prove that I was being optimistic about my new school. I hated lying to him.

I opened the garage door and got into my car. As a bribe to move, my parents bought me a new car. It was a Honda Accord (**I know I changed her car but I wanted to do something different)** painted in a brownish-gray color. I absolutely loved it. People really underestimated this car. It was extremely gas efficient, _and_ it had a connection for my iPod. The main reason I wanted the car was for the iPod connection, but I informed my dad that it was all about the gasoline prices.

I took in a deep breath and hooked up the iPod. I turned the music on full blast, a habit my parents hated, to help clear my head. In a way, music was like my means of running away from the world. I just got lost when I listened to it, and that was exactly what I needed right now. My nerves were tingling, my stomach fluttered, and I was unsure about what was to come in the next half hour. Would high school work out, or would today lead to two long years of torture at high school? I let the thoughts drift away as I turned the music up, and drove away from the house.

When it dawned on me that I had already reached the high school, I realized I probably should not have turned on the music in my car. Music made time go fast for me. I pulled into the school parking lot all too soon. I wasn't ready for this. I couldn't do it. I thought so many times about turning around and just driving and driving until I made it all the way back to Florida.

When I thought about it, I realized that my decision would be justified if I suddenly decided to drive back to Florida. I did not even have a choice whether I wanted to move or not.

However, the decision of moving was not an option for me because it concerned my dad's job. He worked as an accountant for a large business that owned several other companies, and the owner decided to relocate my dad to Illinois. He was to work at the company buildings stationed there rather than at the businesses stationed in Florida.

So, I was in Sacaton, Illinois for my dad. Not for me. I thought about just leaving, and never even entering Sacaton High School. I could just head back home, and not look back.

_Yeah, right,_ I thought. _Me, do anything remotely dangerous or impulsive? _I laughed at myself. Besides being shy and quiet, I was extremely cautious. I would never, in all my life, do anything that dramatic.

A group of students walked past my car, staring. I realized that I was sitting in a parking spot with the car still turned on and the music blaring. I quickly turned off the engine, feeling the familiar sensation of blood rushing to my cheeks. I also noticed that the students were wearing shorts and T-shirts. They weren't cold? Then I realized that to them, 68 degrees was fairly warm, but for me, it was about the coldest temperature Florida experienced all year.

With regret, I gathered my bag and headed towards the main building, leaving the safe confines of my car behind. Already, I felt as if I left my stomach lodged somewhere between the car seats. I noticed that I was not consciously telling my feet to propel me forward; it was more of an automatic movement. My mind was detached from my body, as I was fretting about the obstacles I would face today. Eventually, I made it inside of the door. The hallway smelled old and musky, giving away the age of the building, when I entered. It split off into two rooms, the secretarial office on the left, and the nurse's office to the right. I went left to get the information I needed to start the day.

As I entered the room, I realized all too much was shoved into a room all too small. A desk piled with endless heaps of paper was crowded into the back left corner of the room. A table and chairs crammed into opposite back corner. Any additional space was used to hold waiting chairs, recycle bins, and lost and found containers. In short, the room made me feel claustrophobic, considering I could barely move in it. A small, frail woman sat behind the desk, looking overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork this new school year would bring.

"Um, hi. I...I transferred from Sagewood Meadows…" I addressed the woman at the desk.

"Oh, of course! You must be Isabella Swan," she stated. It appeared as if she was prepared for my coming. It surprised me that she knew my name, but I supposed this was something I had to get used to, living in a small town. "I'm Mrs. Dowin, the school secretary. Do you have your survey?"

"Oh, um, yes…" she was referring to the yellow sheet I filled out last night. I pulled if from my bag and handed it to her.

"Okay, great. Here's your schedule, locker information, a school map, and information from each of your teachers." She handed me a stack of papers that I was not looking forward to reading.

"Great, thank you so much." I turned to leave, but she stopped me mid-step.

"Oh, wait. Rose!" she called. Suddenly, a back door opened, which I failed to see before. A tall, blonde girl who resembled a model came out and smiled.

"You must be Isabella!"

"Yeah but I go by Bella," I answered, now confused why Mrs. Dowin called for Rose.

"I'll be your guide for today!" she seemed to read my thoughts and answered my question. My stomach dropped. A guide? Great, all I needed. I was positive I could figure out my schedule on my own. The campus wasn't even that big.

"No, that's not necessary at all," I tried, "I don't want to bother you."

"Not at all, that's my job!" She seemed overly enthusiastic about guiding me around all day. "Come on, I'll lead you out!"

Reluctantly, I followed her out the office door, back into the hallway, and outside of the building. We started walking towards the academic buildings, which were separate from the main building.

"Okay, here's how this works," Rose startled me by stepping ahead and turning around, standing in my way. "We put on a show for Mrs. Dowin, like I'm going to guide you around all day. You don't want that, and I don't want that either. There are four academic buildings. First is English and Foreign Language, then Math, then Science, then History. It's pretty simple from there. All you have to do is go to the building of the subject, and find the room. It's really not that hard, and it's ridiculous that they think transfer students can't handle it. Do you have any questions?"

"Um, no?" I seemed to ask another question rather than answering hers. The sudden change of attitude from enthusiastic about her job to dumping me off and leaving me somewhat confused me.

"Okay, good. I'm Rose Hale, by the way."

"Oh, um, I'm Bella Swan."

"I know. Everybody knows." Great. All I needed. _So much for keeping a low profile_, I thought. "Your schedule says that you have Spanish first. So this is your stop." We reached the first building, and the butterflies in my stomach fluttered ten times faster. "Well, nice meeting you," Rose said, "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

"Yeah. Great. Thanks." I was so distracted; I could not even formulate an answer. I was far too busy telling myself to calm down, that everything would be okay.

I flung open the door and stepped inside. The hallway looked identical to my former high school's, but what could I expect? High schools are pretty limited when it comes to being creative considering that the walls are lined with lockers. The halls were busting at the seams with kids laughing, whispering, and catching up after the long summer. I walked down the hall, almost running, trying to make my way to my Spanish room without being noticed. However, as I went, most conversations fell silent. People knew I was coming, but they did not know who I was or what I looked like. This was there first chance to see me, and they were not going to waste one minute of talking about me. Immediately, the whispering started.

_Great,_ I thought, _I'll be the talk of the school for who knows how long._

Finally, I reached Room 25. People were beginning to file in for class. The teacher, Senora Bailey, noticed me as soon as I walked in.

"Isabella! Bienvenido!" She called my name in Spanish across the room and welcomed me. "Como esta?"

How are you? Well, there was no way I would give her an honest answer. "Estoy muy bien, gracias." I am very good. That was only stretching the truth a little. She gave me a stack of books and instructed that I sit at an empty desk. Apparently, I had missed the book sales for this year at the end of last school year. This meant that every teacher had to single me out as the new kid. Everyone in the school already noticed me as it was. I took a seat next to a girl with shoulder length black hair and green eyes she kinda looked like a pixie. She turned and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Alice Caden. It's Isabella, right?"

"Yeah, but I go by Bella ," I smiled back, "Apparently I won't need to introduce myself much around here."

Laughing, she answered, "Oh, no! We've been expecting you! No one has seen you all summer! Everyone is extremely curious!"

No, no one would see me unless they went to the Ice Train.

Class started as Senora Bailey refreshed us from last year. I knew all of the material she covered, so I was confident I was up-to-date.

At the end of class, Alice said, "Well, Bella, I'll see you at lunch. Want me to save you a seat?"

"Great!" I was so thankful that I had somewhere to sit. I could avoid that awkward moment most transfer students suffer from: standing with your lunch tray feeling helpless, looking for a seat.

I headed out and walked to the Math building for my next class. My Advanced Calculus teacher was Mrs. Smalls in Room 220. Although each building looked identical on the outsides, the insides were slightly different. Rather than having the walls overcome with lockers, the walls were lined with bulletin boards filled with colorful notices. Everywhere I looked, neon colors of yellow, pink, orange, and green were posted to the walls.

"Join Math Club!" some shouted. Or, "Math Tutor Available!" I walked down the halls, skimming over the notices. When I made it to Room 220, I realized that it was entirely empty. For a moment, I stood in the doorway in a state of confusion.

Suddenly, a deep, male voice greeted me from behind. "Are you Bella?"

I jumped, not realizing that anyone stood behind me. Slowly turning, I noticed a tall, lanky boy with longer blonde hair disarrayed with gel. I confirmed his question, "Oh, yes. I'm Bella. Bella Swan."

"Right. I'm James Newmand. Are you in Advanced Calculus?" he asked.

"Yeah. It says that this is my room, but I'm not too sure."

"No, you've got it right. It looks like we're in the same class." He smiled, "We'll just walk in and wait for the teacher and the other kids to come in."

"Okay, um, sure." We walked towards the back of the room and sat down. The one thing that I absolutely hated about high schools were the desks. Not only were they covered in graffiti and had gum stuck to the bottom, but almost all of the desks in high schools were right-handed. As a left-handed person, this made writing quite difficult. I uncomfortably sat in a right-handed desk in the back row.

I started to read the markings carved onto the surface until James pulled me from my train of thought. "So, where did you move from, again?" he asked.

"I came from Miami, Florida."

"Oh, that's cool. Did you like it there?"

"Yeah, I loved it. I miss it so much. I would give anything to be back there right now." For some reason, I told James the truth. He was the first person that I confided in. I could tell that James and I would get along and become friends easily. He seemed easy-going and willing to listen to me.

"Oh, Sacaton is not _that_ bad. Maybe sometime I could show you around? Give you a tour of all the places we hang out?" James seemed extremely hopeful that I would say yes. His aqua blue eyes were pleading with me. I just hoped that it would not turn into an awkward date.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." I couldn't disappoint him. His whole face lit up at the thought.

"How about Friday night?" he asked.

"Um, sure. That sounds good."

"I'll pick you up at around five?"

"Five sounds good," I answered.

"Where do you live?" Shocking…something about me that people _didn't _know.

"I live on 'Picasso' street. You know, like the artist. It's off of 131st Street. I'm the cream colored house at the end."

"Oh, yeah. Okay. I know where that is. Alright, so Friday at five."

"Friday at five," I repeated. We finished confirming our plans as Mrs. Smalls walked into the room. Just as Senora Bailey, she welcomed me and gave me my set of Calculus books. I flipped through the textbook, thankful that the course didn't seem too complicated. Of course, it would involve a lot of hard work, but it didn't seem like I would be in over my head.

The bell rang and James addressed me again, "So, what class do you have next?"

"Um," I pulled out my schedule, "I have gym with Coach Todd." I was not looking forward to this class. I was unnaturally klutzy. I literally tripped over my own two feet. I could barely walk up the stairs without falling flat on my face, let alone participate in gym class without hurting anyone. My parents always told me I would grow out of this embarrassing attribute, but I never did.

"Me, too! I'll walk you there." He seemed energetic to escort me to a class. I realized that James was hoping for something greater than friendship to form between us, and eventually, that would become a problem if I didn't feel the same way about him. But for right now, it wouldn't be so bad to have someone to walk with and talk to in-between classes. He probably wouldn't feel the same about me after he watched me make a fool of myself in gym, anyway.

"Sure," I said as I gathered my books. We left the Math building and walked over to the History building, which James told me contained a gym on the first floor and the history classrooms on the second.

It was obvious the building contained a gym as soon as I opened the door. My nose filled with the stench of sweat. I walked into the locker room to change into my gym uniform, and entered the gym, praying that we would play a simple team sport, in which I could pretend to be involved while really standing at the side of the court. I was in luck.

"Okay, class. Today we're playing team handball," Coach Todd stated. I was grateful that I had already played this game at my old school, and was familiar with the rules. All I had to do was catch the ball if it was thrown to me, and throw it to someone else. I could easily avoid getting the ball by making sure someone from the other team blocked me at all times. The game consisted of two teams of seven, including a goalie for each team. The goalie had to prevent the handball from getting into the goal, and thus letting the other team score. This game was basically a mix of basketball, football, and soccer.

The coach called out the team members, and it turned out that I was on a team with James.

"Hey, teammate," he ran up to me as we gathered our group, smiling all the while.

"Hey," I answered. "Who's going to be the goalie?"

"Oh, the coach assigns them."

I spoke too soon. I was definitely _not_ lucky. Coach Todd decided to make me goalie. He was obviously unaware of my 'disability.'

"Um, Coach?" I tried, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Isabella, right? You'll be fine. Go grab a goalie penny and stand in the net."

_Oh, God._ I thought. Well, so much for trying to play it safe in gym. I ran to grab a penny to wear over my gym uniform, signaling me as the goalie, and ran to the goal I would be defending.

Fifteen minutes later, I was stumbling out of the gym, guided by James, headed to the nurse's office.

I was attempting to block a goal, and did not realize how close I was to the net. I was backing up, ready to stop the handball, when I banged my head against the metal pole of the goal. The goal started to rock, then wobbled forward, until it finally fell over on top of me. A couple of kids, including James, ran over and lifted the net off. By the time the net was removed, I had a huge bump forming on the side of my head. I tried to stand up, but to no avail. The coach asked for a volunteer to take me to see the nurse, and James wholeheartedly agreed.

After getting me off the gym floor, he put his arm around my waist, and helped me walk as I stumbled out of the gym. We walked back into the main building, and opened the door to the same hallway I had visited earlier this morning. While we walked, James tried to make me feel better about the situation.

"I've never seen anybody get hurt playing team handball! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just my head. I'm not very balanced."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, the other team didn't make the goal because the net fell over on top of you," he said, laughing.

"Oh, yeah. That makes me feel _so_ much better," I added with sarcasm.

We entered the nurse's office, and she laid me flat on an open cot. She tested my eyesight and gave me an ice pack to help the swelling go down. After sitting with the ice pack for twenty minutes, the nurse let James and I leave and return to class. By that time, the rest of the class was changing back into their clothes in the locker room, and as I entered, I could feel the color rising to my face, embarrassed by the accident. I tried to go unnoticed to my gym locker, and change as quickly as possible. My face was still pink when I made it outside. I had study hall next with Mr. Miller. The study hall room was located on the second floor of the science building. I made my way over, attempting to forget about the gym accident. I tried to warn the coach that putting me as goalie wasn't a good idea.

Inside, the science building's walls were made of glass display cases. Each case held various science projects created by former students. I walked to the end of the hallway, and turned right to walk up the stairs. The study hall room was number 401. I entered and took a seat next to a boy with dark brown hair cut short, who looked familiar. It was unusual to see a boy with short hair. The new style was long hair on boys, which most of the time covered their face, blocking their eyes. It was nice to see that not _all_ of the people around here attempted to follow the latest fad.

"Hi," I smiled as I sat down next to him.

"Hey. I'm Tyler Ericson. Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I transferred."

"Where did you come from?" Tyler was clearly out of the loop. Besides fashion, he was the only person I'd met that didn't know who I was.

"I used to live in Florida. I came from Sagewood Meadows High School. I'm Bella Swan."

"Oh, wow. Florida. That's far." He had no idea. "Hey, wait. I know you. Do you work at the Ice Train?"

That's why he looked familiar! "Yeah! I thought I knew you!"

We ended our conversation by talking about hating our jobs, and I got to work. I was grateful for study hall. I finished all of my Spanish and calculus homework. The bell rang, and I got up to leave.

"Maybe I'll see you at lunch?" Tyler asked.

"Sure, I'll see you at lunch." I smiled and walked down the aisle of desks, noticing that Tyler was following me.

"Is it okay if I walk you there?"

"Um, yeah." I sighed, hoping Tyler wouldn't notice. I could tell that this relationship, like the one I held with James, would not be going in the direction I wanted. My goal was to keep my head low and get in and out of school. I did not need a boy in every one of my classes following me around.

We walked back to the Math building, which held the cafeteria on the second floor. I opened the door to the cafeteria and the room smelled of pizza. I walked in with Tyler, and the room went silent. Everyone in the entire cafeteria noticed me. Immediately, my face started to turn pink. I put my head down, and walked down the only aisle in the cafeteria that led to the lunch line, which was unfortunately down the middle. It was like walking down the runway, with everyone staring at you.

And, of course, I tripped. Just walking, I tripped over my own two feet. I stumbled, but kept walking, feeling the additional heat rise to my face. I was sure I looked tomato red. I made it to the lunch line, and waited, trying to calm myself and remove the coloring from my face. I paid for a slice of pizza and lemonade and went to go sit. The girl, Alice, from my Spanish class signaled me down.

"I promised you a seat, didn't I?" She, along with Rose, my "tour guide," and another girl sat at the table.

"Thanks," I smiled.

The girl I did not know introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Angela Weber." I noticed she had reddish-brown hair cut medium length. She had fair skin with thousands of freckles. "Bella, right? You transferred from Sagewood Meadows. You're in my Advanced Physics class, the one coming up after lunch."

I was amazed she knew so much about me. Most people knew my name and some even knew I lived in Florida. But no one else knew my schedule. "Yeah," I cautiously replied, "How do you know my classes?"

"Oh, Angela knows everything about everyone," Rose answered for me. "She's got her 'sources' of information. But don't ask what they are, she never tells anyone." Angela just smiled.

James came down and sat next to me. "Hey," he laughed, "feeling better from gym class?"

"Oh my God, I heard about that! Are you okay?" Angela asked. Obviously, I was learning, Angela _would_ be the one to hear about things like that.

Color immediately sprung to my cheeks, "Oh. Yeah. I'm fine." I really hated being such a klutz.

"Yeah, you almost fell again walking up for lunch!" James laughed at me. "I'm going to have to watch out for you 24/7! Do you always trip on even surfaces?"

"Pretty much," I joked back. After being so unstable for all my life, I learned how to make light of it. "I forgot to let the principal know that he has to add pillows to all of the floors and walls so I don't break myself when I fall."

"When did you fall?" Another male voice came from behind me and startled me. It was Tyler.

"Hey Tyler!" He came and sat down on the other side of me. I noticed James shot him a dirty look, and Tyler returned it with one just as bad. I did not like the way this situation was turning out. I didn't need James and Tyler fighting over me.

Rose apparently saw, and started laughing. "Relax, guys. There's enough of Bella for everyone."

_Thanks_, I thought. Right away, my face turned pink again.

"Bella, chill. Rose is just kidding," Alice stated, noticing the color in my face.

"But just for your information, James and Tyler, you two aren't the only ones crushing on Bella," Angela added. Now my face tripled in color.

"Angela, come on. What are you talking about?" I was hoping I could prove her wrong.

"Almost every single boy in this high school has noticed you, and I've…heard things."

"What kind of things," I demanded, clenching my jaw.

"Oh, nothing," she added with a sly smile. I decided to let the topic drop. My gaze drifted over to the table of boys directly in front of ours. I couldn't help but notice one of them. He had bronze colored hair that was grown out somewhat longer, but not to the point that it hung in his eyes. It was the perfect length. He had big, dark green eyes that appeared almost emerald. He laughed at a joke his friend made, and flashed a gleaming white smile. I couldn't help but stare at him.

"Angela, who is that?" I whispered across the table. She turned to see who I was talking about, and started laughing.

"Edward Cullen. Of course, I should have known that you would fall for the hottest guy in school."

"I didn't 'fall' for him. I just…noticed him." At this, Tyler and James immediately looked up and listened into our conversation.

"Okay, sure," Angela smiled.

"Shut up." I made a face back at her.

I looked up at Edward once more and his eyes met mine. He just stared at me, showing no expression at all. My eyes shot downward. I didn't want to be caught looking at him.

"He's staring at you," Alice added. I didn't want to look up to see, but I couldn't help myself, and looked up once more. It was true. He was looking at me with his big green eyes. He noticed I was staring back at him, and he flashed a smile. Instantly, I lowered my gaze, determined not to look up again throughout lunch.

"Don't look at him," I commanded.

"You'll never get him by ignoring him," Rose added to my horror.

"I don't _want_ to get him," I added through gritted teeth. My face flushed once again.

"Whatever." That was Rose. Always had to get the last word in. I really didn't care, though. At least it ended the conversation.

For the rest of lunch, we talked about classes, teachers, and my first day here. Thankfully, Edward Cullen was never brought up again.

I was really beginning to feel confident at school. I had my group of friends, and we got along really well. I was so glad that I was accepted at Sacaton High.

The bell rang, indicating the end of lunch. Angela and I packed up our things and headed out of the cafeteria and down the stairs, leaving the Math building. We walked over to the Science building for our Advanced Physics class. All the while, Angela gave me the '411' on Edward Cullen.

"So, do you like him?" Angela asked.

"Um, I don't know. I kind of just saw him in the cafeteria. I don't even know anything about him!"

"Okay, well, let me inform you." Angela needed no prodding to show off her level of information about other people. "He's lived in Sacaton like all of his life. He does _not_ have a girlfriend. He's on the football team and he's in Drama Club. He's in our next class…"

"Angela! Stop!" I was sure that she could go on forever.

"Just trying to help," she added, throwing her hands up in defense.

"Look, I really appreciate it, but I seriously don't even know him."

"Well, maybe you'll be lab partners or something."

My heart fluttered at the thought. Then I stopped myself. If I wanted to blend into the walls, I could _not_ get interested in a boy, no matter how good-looking he was. But I couldn't help myself from thinking about what Angela said.

It was a good sign that he didn't have a girlfriend. That gave me a glimmer of hope. I also noted that he was on the football team and in the Drama Club. Odd combination, but that shows that he's diverse. He was probably really interesting. And most importantly, I noted that he was in our next class. I felt my heart skip a beat, as I got excited.

We walked into the Science building and went to Room 112. My teacher, Mrs. Alps, told me to sit at lab table number five. I walked over and plopped down my bag, taking a seat at a stool. From my peripheral vision, I noticed the stool next to me move. Someone sat down beside me. I turned to see who it was, and could feel my heart begin to pound out of my chest. It was none other than Edward Cullen.

Instantly, color rushed to my face.

"Hey, I'm Edward. You're the transfer student aren't you?" His voice was deep but came out like velvet.

"Um….yeah…" for some reason, I had a hard time remembering what he asked me. It was like I fell into his black eyes when he spoke, and I couldn't come out of them. "I'm Bella Swan," I finally managed to answer.

"So I figured. Well, it looks like we're lab partners."

"Yeah," I smiled. Why did I have to be such an idiot when I talked to him?

He didn't seem to notice my lack of communication skills. "So how is your first day going?"

"Well, pretty good," I answered, "besides the fact that I almost fell at lunch, that is. I'm sure you noticed that. Everyone had to."

Laughing, he answered, "No, I didn't notice that. Now I'm disappointed." Why did he have to look so amazing when he smiled?

Trying to rid my head of the thought, I smiled back, "I'm not very graceful."

Turning it into a joke, he added, "Well, maybe the floor wasn't _perfectly_ flat."

I answered, "No, I'm pretty sure it was. That's just me. I can't walk without tripping over myself."

He smiled at me again, stunning me. Mrs. Alps called the class to attention, but I couldn't fully focus on what she was saying. It was hard to concentrate with the hottest guy in school staring at me. It seemed like he didn't even blink. His gaze never left my face. I tried to ignore him, but it was extremely difficult.

Finally, what seemed like hours later, the bell rang.

"Well, I'll see you around," Edward said as he got up to leave.

"Yeah, see you," I answered. As soon as he left, Angela came running up to me.

"Oh my God, how was it! He totally stared at you for the whole period!" Angela came to get the gossip.

"It was fine. Gees, Angela! Calm down. And, he did _not_ stare at me the whole period," I added, even though I knew it was true.

"Yes, he did. But I'm not going to argue about it with you. So what did you talk about?" she urged.

"He asked me how I liked school, and he teased me about tripping in the cafeteria. It was _not_ a big deal."

"So, do you like him?"

"What?! No!" My face started turning pink from embarrassment.

"Okay, sure, whatever." Angela flashed an evil grin and left for her next class, as did I after packing my bag.

Even though I denied liking him, I knew I was lying. I _was_ starting to like him, but just a little. I knew I could never admit it, because my goal was to blend into the walls. Besides, I knew he would never like me back. I wasn't very interesting, or pretty, or popular, and I clearly couldn't formulate an educated response around him. I would seriously have to work on that last part.

I had Advanced Placement United States History next. Boy, was that a mouthful. Thanks to my dad, I had to take classes that had names twenty words long. I left the Science building, and walked to the History Building. I entered the hallway, which looked similar to the English Building's hallway, and searched for Room 304. I found that Rose shared this class with me, and I went to sit by her.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked her.

"Not much, you? How was Physics?"

"Um, it was good," I was not about to tell her that I didn't pay attention to one word my teacher said because I was focused on ignoring Edward's stares.

Once again, my mind was off on a tangent during class. I couldn't stop thinking about him. Was he really staring at me all class? Or was I imagining it? I was sure that my teacher, Mr. Pulido, was giving an insightful lecture, but I just couldn't focus. Besides thinking about Edward, I was thinking about what Angela asked me. Did I really like him? I only know him for one day, so how could I? My mind swarmed with all of these thoughts, but none of them had to do with United States history.

I was so distracted that when the bell rang I lurched in my chair.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I quickly got up and packed my bag to leave for my next class. I walked back down the hallway, and out the doors of the building. I made my way over to the English building for my last class with Mr. Schultz. As I walked I continued to ponder over Physics class when someone disrupted me.

"Hello again." It was him. I didn't even have to look up to know his voice. It was all too familiar after only a day. That was the point when I realized how deep I'd fallen. I couldn't do this. I had to stop.

"Hey," I said coolly. I couldn't show him, or anyone else for that matter, that I cared about him.

"What's your next class?"

I answered, "English, you?"

"Same. Who's your teacher?"

"Mr. Schultz."

"Cool, me, too." Great. I had another class with him.

"Well, I'll see you in there," I answered.

"Can't I walk with you?" He was asking my permission. I realized I should have said no, in order to keep a low profile, but, of course, I didn't.

"Yeah, sure." We walked to Room 123 and he sat down next to me. I noticed another boy walked in the room and flashed a grin at Edward. He shot him back a dirty look. I pretended to ignore this, because it seemed like some kind of inside joke, and hopefully it wasn't about me.

He talked to me a little about Drama Club and the football team. He told me I should try out for the play the club was working on, which was apparently Romeo and Juliet. He handed me a copy of the script.

"Here, I've got two. You should practice. Tryouts are tomorrow after school."

He informed me as if I would go. Me? In a play? "Great, thanks." I took the script to be polite. However, I had no intentions of trying out to be Juliet. That is, unless Edward was Romeo. I flipped through the script, looking at the different female parts.

"You should try out for Juliet," he stated.

This sudden input made me curious. "Why would I do that?" I looked up to meet his gaze.

"Because I'm trying out for Romeo." His answer made me flush as my heart fluttered. I quickly looked down to escape his expectant stare. What was I supposed to answer to that?

Luckily, Mr. Schultz started the class, not that I could focus. I was far too busy preoccupied over what Edward had said. What was it supposed to mean? He wanted me to try out for Juliet? It was so sudden that it made my head spin.

The bell rang, ending the day, and I jumped out of my seat and left. I didn't want to have to answer his statement. I dreaded Physics tomorrow when I would be alone with him yet again. What if he brought up the play again? What would I do? How would I answer him?

I jumped in my car, and blared the music to clear my head. I didn't even remember walking out of the English building. Suddenly, I was just in my car. I started the engine and threw the car into reverse, speeding home, trying not to think about Edward. The music helped with that.

When I finally made it home, I parked the car in the garage, and intended to go in my room, do homework, and go to bed. I was thoroughly exhausted. I was so thankful that I didn't have to work at the Ice Train tonight. However, when I unlocked the door and stepped in, I realized that I was far from resting. Both of my parents waited for me. My dad had apparently come home from work early to interrogate me about my school day. My mom also looked anxious to hear about high school.

"Hey Mom. Hey Dad." I tried to avoid them, but I couldn't make it to the stairs fast enough.

"How was your day?" The question came that I was dreading; I didn't feel like answering all of their inquiries.

"Fine." I tried the one word answer, but it did not work at all.

"Well, more than 'fine' would be nice," my dad instructed.

I knew he was looking for an academic synopsis. "All of my teachers are really nice. I feel prepared for all of my classes."

That answer seemed sufficient. "Okay, good." He said, and then went into his study room.

Now to answer my mom. "How were the kids?"

"They were all really nice. I met a group of kids that I sat with at lunch."

"Any cute boys?" How did I know this question would come.

I could feel the heat rise to my face as I stammered, "W-well…."

"Oh, who is it?" She seemed overly excited that I liked someone. Which I didn't. Because I can't like anyone.

"No one," I determined was the safest answer.

"Oh, come on. You can tell me."

"I don't like him." Wow, that wasn't too obvious.

"Bella, it's okay. Who is it?"

"Well, there's this guy named Edward…"

"Edward Cullen?" How did she know! We've only lived here a month, and she already knew who I was talking about. My face just turned redder. "Oh, Bella! He's so nice, and _good-looking_! I met him at the grocery store."

Right, because there was only one grocery store in Sacaton, so it figured that you would run into everyone there. "I don't like him."

"Okay, sweetie." My mom just smiled knowingly.

"Urrrggg!" I shouted and ran into my room. Sometimes it was so nice to go to school and be away from home all day.

I put in a CD, and got started on my homework. I couldn't entirely focus because I was so stressed out. I decided to stop and take a shower to try to relax me.

It felt good to turn the heat of the shower on all the way. I could feel the heat working on the muscles in my back, un-kinking them. I let the smell of my shampoo fill the shower, and took in a deep, cleansing breath. I had to stop thinking about school, and friends, and Edward.

After the shower, I was able to go and finish my homework. Once I was done, I was so tired, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It was the first night in a long time that I had a dream.

And it was about him. He was Romeo, and I was Juliet.

I woke up in the morning with a start and knew that that day, after school, I would be trying out for the part of Juliet in the school play.

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	3. Edward:The New Girl

_**Hey I'd like to thank everyone who took their time to read my story so far. Its kinda slow right now but in later chapters there will be a lot more action both good and bad so stayed tuned**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight Stephanie Meyers does :(**_

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Chapter 3 (Edward): The New Girl

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!" Smack! I hit the off button on my obnoxious alarm clock. I did _not_ want to get up and go to school this morning. School was always so boring. Go, work, go home. Too repetitive for me. I thought that maybe the transfer girl would stir things up.

After all, the entire town had been talking about her. Bella Swan this and Bella Swan that. I was sure she was interesting and nice and all, but the gossip never ended. No one even knew what she looked like! I hated living in a small town. People here tried to find out everything about you because they had nothing better to do.

I rolled out of bed, splashed water on my face, got dressed, and grabbed breakfast as I walked out the door. My dad, Carlisle, had already left for work, and I was sure my mom, Esme, was still sleeping. As an artist, she claimed she "needed her rest." My sister, Stephanie, was a senior at Sacaton High, a year older than me. She left already to be sure to get to school on time. I knew I would get there in time before the bell because I drove abnormally fast down the side streets. I knew every shortcut in the town.

I got in my car, a silver Volvo S60 R, and lowered the windows. It was still hot enough at 68 degrees to keep the windows down. I turned on some music and drove off, realizing I was driving away from summer, and driving to a year of boring, hard work at school. Great.

Sure enough, I got there early. I met up with some of my friends from football: Ben, Jasper, Matt, Emmett, and Will. It was pretty funny that we all hung around. We were so different from each other. Ben was the vocal one as class president. Jasper was the quiet one, who pretty much kept to himself. Matt, for being so small, had a lot of pent-up energy. Emmett was _built_. He was buff and strong, and he knew it. He was the cocky one. Will was the kid who was always cracking jokes. Finally, there was me. I couldn't really describe myself. I was pretty much a mix of each one of them, and I was okay with that.

"Hey Edward!" Ben shouted across the parking lot.

"Hey," I jogged over to join the group.

"First day of school. Great. I wish it was summer again," Jasper said.

"Come on guys, it can't be that bad. It'll be great! Junior year! One year to go after this one!" Matt enthusiastically shouted. "Besides, there's a new girl this year…"

"Oh, I know," Emmett said, flexing his muscles. "Think she could turn down these guns?"

"God, Emmett, you are so full of yourself," I laughed.

"Oh, come on, Edward. Don't tell me your not curious about her," Emmett said.

"I feel like I already know her from all the people in town talking about her."

"Well, if she's hot, I call dibs," Will added, making us all laugh.

It didn't feel any different being a junior than it did any other year. I needed something new, and it didn't appear that I would get it this year. I knew everyone in all of my classes, all of my teachers, every room. I didn't even have the new girl in any of my morning classes. Finally, lunch came. At least I could commiserate with my friends.

"Hey," I greeted the lunch table as I walked up.

"Hey Edward! How was your morning? How were your classes?" Matt asked.

"Slow down, Matt," I laughed. "Nothing exciting. You?"

"Shush!" Emmett shouted. "There's the new girl!"

The cafeteria fell silent. She walked in with a boy named Tyler Ericson. _Great,_ I thought, _she already has a boyfriend._ Immediately, I lost interest, and cared nothing about her. I went back to getting situated at the table. She would just be another girl I had nothing to do with. The cafeteria remained silent until she sat down with a group of friends at the table behind us. I was sitting on the opposite side of the table, so I could see who she was sitting with. It looked like her friends were Rose, Alice, Angela, Tyler, and James. Great, James. What was he doing there?

"So, who is she going out with: Tyler or James? I'm confused now," I asked.

"Neither. Who told you that?" Jasper asked.

"Well, I just assumed. She walked in with Tyler, and James sitting at her table."

"You know what they say about assuming…but no, she's not going out with either of them. Yet. They both like her. They've kind of got a competition going on to see who will end up with her."

"So she's single?" Will asked.

"Yup," Jasper answered.

Will paused to take a long look at her, then shouted, "Dibs!"

I started cracking up. Now that I knew she was single, I decided it was alright to see what she really looked like. I looked across the table to see that she was watching me, too. I paused for a moment, studying her face, and her eyes quickly looked away. She was stunning. Her hair was longer, and brown in color with honey-blonde streaks. Her eyes a deep chocolaty brown that seemed to never end. Her skin was milky from the Florida sun, the place where she used to live. Part of this milkiness **(if that's even a word lol)**, I realized, was her natural, olive-skin's own color. She had her own, natural beauty, and I immediately knew that I liked her. A lot. Sadly, at that point I realized I was crazy about her. Her friend, Angela, turned around to look at me, then turned back to whisper something to her. I realized how awkward it was that I stared at her, but I couldn't help myself. She dazzled me.

When she looked up at me this time, I was ready. I smiled at her, in a way letting her know that I liked her. I don't think she got the message, though. She let her eyes drop once more, and started talking to Alice. Then, Rose said something that made her face flush to an attractive pink. She was breathtaking. I tried to get her attention again, but she seemed determined not to look at me. Ben pulled me away from staring at her.

"Will, I don't think your 'dibs' means anything. Edward is already head-over-heels."

"No, I'm not. Shut up, man," I tried to deny what was clearly obvious.

"Oh, right, sure," Ben teased.

"Aw, man," Will complained. "Fine, but just this one. The next girl I call dibs on is so mine. Got it?"

"Fine," I answered, realizing that in all of two minutes, my secret was out. They knew that I liked her.

"And just because you're my friend," Will added, "I'll let you in on a little secret." He grinned mischievously as he pulled out someone's class schedule and followed with his finger down the column of classes.

"What?" I demanded.

"She's got the same physics and English periods as you."

My heart skipped a beat. Those were my two chances out of the day to see her. What if she was my lab partner? What if I sat next to her in English? My mind reeled over the opportunities.

"Look at his face light up!" Matt teased me.

Thankfully, before they could make fun of me any more, the bell rang, ending lunch. I noticed that Bella was walking with Angela to physics. And she walked really fast. As I walked, I couldn't stop thinking about her. When I finally made it into the lab room, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. She _was_ my lab partner. Someone up there was looking out for me today. I immediately went and sat down next to her.

"Hey, I'm Edward. You're the transfer student, aren't you?" I realized how stupid that sounded after I said it. Of course she was the transfer student. She was the only new girl in the entire town.

"Um…yeah…." Her face was flushed pink again, and I hoped this meant that she liked me. "I'm Bella Swan," she stated.

"So I figured," I answered. Of course she was Bella Swan. I looked into her eyes, and noticed that they were beautiful; unlike anyone's I'd ever seen. My own eyes were dark green. I'm sure she wasn't interested in _my_ eyes at all. "Well, it looks like we're lab partners." There I went again, stating the obvious.

"Yeah," she smiled at me. My heart jumped out of my chest.

"So, how is your first day going?" I asked, searching for anything to keep talking to her.

"Well, pretty good, besides the fact that I almost fell at lunch, that is. I'm sure you noticed that. Everyone had to." I was kicking myself for not paying attention to her as she walked in.

I started laughing, trying to picture someone so perfect tripping. "No, I didn't notice that. Now I'm disappointed," I added teasingly.

"I'm not very graceful."

"Well, maybe the floor wasn't _perfectly_ flat."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was. That's just me. I can't walk without tripping over myself."

I smiled at the fact that she didn't realize how beautiful and perfect she was. Our teacher tried to get the class to pay attention, but I couldn't focus. I couldn't help staring at the her. She seemed like she didn't notice me staring, which was good. I didn't want her to know how obsessed I was. Then, sadly, the bell rang.

"Well, I'll see you around," I said as I was leaving.

"Yeah, see you."

I then left to go to study hall. I was so absorbed in thinking about Bella that I didn't even realize I almost walked into Will.

"Hey, how was physics?" he asked, poking me in the ribs with his elbow.

"Fine."

"Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah, but I think I sounded really stupid," I answered.

"Oh, you've got it bad."

"No I don't. Shut up, Will."

"Fine!" He threw up his hands defensively. "Are you going to talk to her in English?" He wouldn't let it go.

"Yes, Will. Any more questions?"

"No, for now I'm good."

I sat through study hall, anxious for English. I tried everything to distract me. Clicking my pen, tapping the desk, counting the seconds. Finally, after what felt like forty-five hours instead of minutes, the bell rang. I ran out the door, leaving Will laughing behind me.

I caught sight of her leaving the History building. I started to jog to catch up wither her. She really did walk fast. Finally, I was at her side.

"Hello again," I greeted her casually.

"Hey," she said. I couldn't tell if she was annoyed or surprised, but she seemed deep in thought.

"What's you next class?" Even though I already knew, I still asked.

"English, you?"

"Same," I said, still thankful for that convenient scheduling. "Who's your teacher?"

"Mr. Schultz."

"Cool. Me, too."

"Well, I'll see you in there," she said, stunning me.

"Can't I walk with you?" I was so desperate to be with her that it hurt when she seemed like she wanted to be alone.

Hesitantly, she answered, "Yeah, sure." I didn't want to annoy her, but I couldn't tell if she was acting like this because she liked me…or because she was really annoyed by my presence. I really hoped it was the first option.

I followed her, trying to keep up, into room 123, and decided to risk it and sit next to her. Then, Ben walked into the room and smiled this huge, goofy look at me because I was sitting by her. I shot him back a 'back off' look, hoping Bella didn't notice.

"So, are you in any clubs?" I asked her.

"Not yet. What about you?"

"I'm on the football team, and I'm in the Drama Club. You should try out for the play. It's a lot of fun."

"What play is it?"

"Romeo and Juliet." I realized it was pretty ironic that I was asking her to do the school play, Romeo and Juliet, with me. At that point, I realized I was definitely trying out for Romeo, and wanted her as Juliet. I pulled out an extra script.

"Here, I've got two. You should practice. Tryouts are tomorrow after school." I was praying she would be there.

"Great, thanks." She took the script and started to flip through it, looking for parts she would consider. I noticed she skipped over all of the Juliet parts. There was no way I would try out for Romeo if she wasn't going out for Juliet. I had to tell her.

"You should try out for Juliet," I stated.

She looked up at me, with questioning eyes. "Why would I do that?"

Her eyes hypnotized me. Immediately, I answered, without even thinking, "Because I'm trying out for Romeo." I couldn't believe I said that out loud.

She instantly flushed, and I thought, _I blew it_. I looked at her, waiting for any type of sign or reply that she wasn't mad at me. Instead, Mr. Schultz decided to start the class, which ended the conversation. My mind was drifting as I realized I messed it up. I laid it on way too thick. It was too sudden. She would try to stay away from me from now on, thinking I was some kind of stalker-freak. I knew this was true when the bell rang. Bella jumped up and left without even acknowledging me. _Great._

Ben walked up grinning from ear to ear. "What'd you do to her? She like _ran_ out of here!"

"Nothing," I brushed past him, determined not to answer any of his questions. I half-ran to my car, and turned the music on. I drove away from the school, dreading physics tomorrow. What would I say to her? I couldn't believe what I'd done. I was furious with myself. I didn't even know if she liked me! What was I thinking?

I made it home and ran straight to my room, nearly knocking over Stephanie. I should have known not to do that, considering how overprotective Steph was of me. She would notice the slightest thing off in my personality. I heard a knock at my door.

"Yeah," I answered.

She walked in the room, "What happened?"

For some reason, I've always trusted Steph. I've always told her everything, and I knew that, as a girl, she could give me advice. "I blew it," I groaned, as if she would understand.

"Okay…" she dragged out the word, showing her confusion.

I proceeded to tell her about Bella, how I was obsessed with her, and how I couldn't tell by her reactions how she felt about me. I tried to reiterate how Bella acted. She smiled and said, "She likes you."

"Not anymore, she doesn't. I screwed it up." I then told her about the whole Romeo-Juliet case scenario.

She started laughing. Laughing! "Okay, so maybe you confused her. But she still likes you. If she didn't, she would have made a joke out of it. Instead, she seriously, sat, thought about it all of English class, and decided she wasn't ready to answer you yet. That means she likes you, and doesn't want to screw it up."

Steph had no idea how much better that made me feel. "Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

"Well, what do I tell her tomorrow?"

"Ask her if she's trying out for the play. Just go in confident. She definitely likes you, so don't worry about it. Just be yourself." With that, she got up and left.

I fell asleep thinking about Bella, and had the weirdest dream. I was Romeo, and she was Juliet.

And for some reason, that dream made me realize everything would work out.

**You know what to do click that tiny button and Review (Hey tat kind of rhymed)**

**This chapter is going to be dedicated to: **

**Cullenwannabe913 thanx for the review**

**and ill take your advice into consideration when I announce who gets what part in the play :}**


	4. Bella: My Romeo

Chapter 4 (Bella): My Romeo

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, art far more fair than she."

The dream began with Edward reciting lines from the school play. We were standing on the stage in the school auditorium, practicing for the play, "Romeo and Juliet." It was surreal hearing Edward repeat the lines of Romeo to me, Juliet. He was such a convincing actor, that it made me think he actually meant every word he said. It made my heart leap to believe that he loved me.

In the midst of my dreams, the play continued. Finally came the time when Romeo would kiss Juliet. I could feel my heart pounding, trying to escape the confines of my chest. Edward drew nearer to me, and I stopped breathing. He lightly put his hand on the back of my head and pulled me towards him. His lips came closer and closer to mine, and just when they were about to touch…

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" I gasped as I jumped up in bed. I instantly knew that I would have to try out for Juliet. I had to know what that kiss would feel like!

I rolled out of bed, confused and dazed from my dream. My mind reeled as I thought about trying out for the school play. I had never acted before, so how did I even know if I could? What if I was so bad that he laughed at me? What if he didn't really want me to try out for Juliet, if he was just being nice? But why would he say that if he didn't want me to try for the part? Did he like me, or did he just want to be friends?

I figured that if he mentioned the play again in physics, I would tell him I was trying out for the part, and see what his reaction was. I hoped it would somehow indicate how he felt for me, to put my mind at ease.

I slowly paced through my daily routine. I spent an extra ten minutes perfecting my hair and makeup, trying to look my best. The only thing I skipped was putting on blush, because I figured my face would turn pink enough naturally through the embarrassing moments I would meet today. Soon enough, it was time for me to leave for school.

With the music blaring, I reached the school, both hopeful and cautious about today. As I opened my car door and stepped out, I was greeted by shouts from my friends.

"Hey, Bella!" Alice screamed across the parking lot, "Get over here!"

Smiling, I walked over to the group. Rose, Alice, and Angela all sat at an abandoned picnic table near the forest area towards the side of the school. Although the forest was "forbidden grounds," apparently you could get away with sitting at the table.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"Not much," Alice answered. "How was Edward yesterday?" She asked, grinning.

"Fine, thanks." I made a face at her all the while I could feel my pulse quickening.

"How was your English class with him?" Angela questioned.

"Um, fine." My face turned crimson as I recalled our last class together.

"Aw, look. She's blushing," Rose mocked. I shot her back a look telling her to back off.

"Whatever, guys. I have to go." I wanted to leave and end the conversation as soon as I could.

"She must really like him," I heard Angela whisper to Alice. I decided to ignore them, and continued walking to Spanish.

The morning flew by. I spent most of my classes thinking about what I would say to Edward, and if he would even talk to me considering how I blew him off at the end of the day.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Tyler asked.

"What? No, sorry." I was far too distracted to notice when he spoke to me.

"Are you coming to lunch or what?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." I looked around, noticing that most of the class had already filed out of the study hall room. I packed my bag and followed Tyler out of the room. We made our way back to the third building for lunch in the cafeteria. Once again, I had to parade down the "runway" to get in line for lunch. This time, however, I didn't even have to worry about tripping.

_Bam!_ The cafeteria door swung open and hit me smack on the head. I stumbled back and clutched my forehead. I let out a gasp from the pain.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" A tall boy with flaming red hair ran towards me to catch me before I could fall.

"Whoa," I was seeing stars. "Um, that's…okay."

"You have to go to the nurse's office." The boy held my shoulders and tried to survey the damage on my head.

"No!" I shouted. I was _not_ going to end up in the nurse's office two days in a row. "I'm fine. Really." I could already feel the pain beginning to numb.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, really. It's okay."

"I'm Will, by the way," he added and held out his hand.

"Bella," we shook hands and I headed back towards the door to walk into the cafeteria.

"Here, let me at least get the door for you." He pulled open the door and waited for me to enter.

"Thanks. I'll see you around." I walked into the room, and already, half of the class was staring. Apparently, they had heard Will scream and ask me if I was hurt. I pretended not to notice and continued down the line, walking slightly crooked due to the swarming in my head. I decided just to buy an iced tea. I didn't really feel like eating, and I had a "head-splitting" migraine. I plopped down at the cafeteria table with Rose, Alice, Angela Tyler, and James. I also noticed someone new sitting at our table.

"Hey, Bella. This is my boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock." Alice announced.

"Hey," he smiled.

"Oh, hi. Nice to meet you." I remembered that Jasper was sitting at the lunch table with Edward yesterday. _Yes,_ I thought, _they must be friends!_ The prospect made me excited. I would be able to get the inside scoop on Edward.

"He's staring at you again," Rose whispered beside me. I shot my head up, and sure enough, Edward was staring. We both smiled, and, blushing, I turned to Rose.

"Funny how you notice those things, isn't it?" I teased her.

"Look, he's your boyfriend, not mine," she shot back.

"I wish," I mumbled.

After the bell rang, I stood up from the lunch table, my heart beating five hundred miles a minute at the thought of being next to him in physics class. I was nervous about bringing up the play, but I was overall just excited to be by him. Someone lightly touched my elbow.

"Hey," I was greeted by his smooth, silky voice. He smiled, "Will you walk with me to physics?"

"Sure," I smiled back. Inside, my heart fluttered I was so excited. We made our way out of the cafeteria and headed towards the science building.

"How's your head?" he asked.

How did he know? I blushed and answered, "Um, fine, I guess."

"Will told me what he did to you. We're pretty good friends, but he can be a real idiot sometimes," he laughed.

"No, really, I'm okay," I smiled back.

"So," he questioned, "did you think about trying out?"

The moment I'd been dreading was here, "Yeah. I think I'll go for it. You were quite convincing yesterday," I teased, trying to make light of his question.

"Really? Great!" His deep, green eyes flashed with excitement and made my heart pound. We reached the physics room and sat down at our lab table. I tried to conclude Edward's feelings for me by the way he responded. He seemed genuinely happy that I was trying to be Juliet, so I hoped this meant that he liked me. Why do guys have to be so hard to read?

"Hey, Bella." Angela walked by the table and smiled knowingly as her eyes darted from me to Edward and then back again.

"Hey, Angela." I responded by faking a smile that had a warning behind it to mind her own business. She giggled and walked away. I looked over at Edward to see if he noticed how she was acting, but he just smiled at me, as if I was the most important thing in the world, and he couldn't take his eyes off me.

Once again, I spent physics class super aware of him staring, which made things difficult to focus.

"See you in English," he smiled when the bell rang. I left the room and made my way over to history, all the while thinking about his reaction.

During class, I didn't pay attention to anything my teacher said. I read and reread and memorized the lines I would have to recite at tryouts. I was going to nail the part, whether I had acted before or not. I was _going_ to be Juliet. The bell rang and I jumped out of my seat and ran to the door. The faster I got to English, the faster I would see him again. I reached the door and walked outside into the brisk, fall air. I shivered as the cool breeze hit me.

"Do you want my jacket?" His velvety voice greeted me from behind as he handed his leather jacket to me.

"Sure, thanks." I wriggled my arms into the sleeves and pushed them up to free my hands from the long arms of the coat. His jacket smelled richly of leather and peppermint. I inhaled, committing the smell to memory.

"So, Juliet," he teased, "tell me more about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"Everything."

"Like…." I prodded.

"Okay, like your favorite color."

"Probably….pink," I replied as we entered the English building.

"Your favorite flower?"

"Um, maybe a rose?" I answered, unsure of where this conversation was heading. He looked like he wanted to ask me different questions, but the teacher decided to begin our class.

When the bell finally rang, Edward said, "Well, I guess I'll see you in the auditorium for tryouts."

"Yeah, I'll see you later," I smiled as he got up to leave. Then it hit me, _Oh my God, tryouts._ I could feel the butterflies in my stomach as I realized that his was my one shot at Juliet and I couldn't screw it up.

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	5. Edward: My Juliet

Chapter 5 (Edward): My Juliet

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, art far more fair than she."

I stood, on the stage in the auditorium, reciting the lines of the infamous Romeo. However, it didn't feel like I was performing in a play, but rather, expressing my feelings to Bella. Although it appeared that we were Romeo and Juliet, I tried to prove to her that we weren't, that I actually meant every word I said.

The play carried on, and finally came the moment I'd been waiting for. The scene when Romeo would kiss Juliet. My heart somersaulted inside my chest. I stepped towards her and was stunned once again by her beauty. I lifted my hand behind her head to pull her towards me. I could tell that she felt just as nervous as I did, but she trusted me. We both leaned in, and just when we were about to kiss…

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" I screamed at my alarm clock. Just when it was getting good. Unbelievable. Just my luck.

"Hey, you okay?" Steph knocked on my door, startled by my yelling.

"Yeah. I'm great," I replied sarcastically. I pounded down on the alarm clock.

"Whatever. I'm leaving, okay? See you at school."

I rolled my eyes. Steph has never been late for school in her life, considering that she left almost an hour before it started.

I threw back the sheets of my bed and rolled out. I pulled on jeans and a shirt, brushed my teeth, and ran a comb through my hair. My mom insisted I needed a haircut, but she didn't get it. My hair was fine, and she would just have to deal.

Still half asleep, I walked out to my car and drove to school. I turned up the radio to help me wake up. After flipping through every station and still not finding a song I liked, I pulled one of my many CDs and slid it into the player. By the time I finally selected a song, I was at school. I opened the door, and as usual, I heard Emmett screaming across the parking lot.

"Hey, Edward! Get over here, man!"

I walked over to meet Ben, Will, Jasper, Matt, and Emmett.

"Hey, what's up?" Matt asked.

"Not much," I was still sour from this morning's brutal awakening.

"Someone's cheerful," Matt remarked.

"He's probably mad cause he scared away his girlfriend yesterday," Jasper laughed.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I could only hope.

"_Yet,_" he smiled back at me.

"Shut up, dude," I jokingly pushed him into the car next to us, setting off the alarm.

"Crap, let's go!" We laughed as idiots as we ran away from the screeching car. Jasper clearly wasn't done poking fun at me, because when we were far enough away, he continued mocking me.

"So, when are you gonna ask her out?"

"Jasper, god, shut up!" Now it was getting old.

"Alright! Chill, I'm just kidding!" He shot a knowing look at Will who smirked back. "And just so you know, I'm sitting with Alice at lunch today, so don't look for me."

I totally forgot Jasper was dating Alice! Alice sat at Bella's table! _Yes!_ I thought. I would have Jasper at her table to find out more about her.

"Hey, the bell's gonna ring. See ya," Jasper sprinted off to his class, and our group separated.

The morning flew by, considering I spent most of my time thinking about bringing up the play tryouts once again to Bella. I couldn't be too upfront about it; I had to make it casual so she wouldn't think I was _completely_ obsessed. Because I wasn't. Only a little.

Before I knew it, the bell rang, ending my calculus class and beginning lunch. I wanted to get to the cafeteria early to get a seat across from Bella's table. I plopped down my stuff at an empty chair and then walked back down the aisle to get my lunch.

I was standing in line, waiting to order when I heard someone yell, "Oh my god, I am so sorry!"

I couldn't see over the crowd up people standing up at their tables to see what happened so I shrugged it off, figuring I would find out later what happened. Someone probably ran into another person and he or she dropped their lunch tray. Whatever. That kind of stuff happened all the time.

After I ordered, I went to sit back at my seat. A few minutes later, Will sat down next to me, all smiles.

"Dude, I think I gave your girlfriend a concussion!" I was getting used to my friends calling Bella my girlfriend (not that I minded entirely), so I didn't let it upset me, but I got mad when he said he hurt her.

"What'd you do?!"

"I forgot my lunch in my locker, so I was leaving to get it. I opened the, um, cafeteria doors…and, like…BAM! I hit her like smack on the head!" He demonstrated by hitting himself.

I hit him again, except this time over the back of the head. "Is she okay?!"

"Yeah, relax. She's fine. But she refused to see the nurse." He shrugged, but I knew why she wouldn't go to the office. She was already there yesterday from a gym accident from what I remembered, and I doubt she wanted to be there again. I looked over at her table to make sure she wasn't hurt badly. She seemed fine, and I could have looked away, but I couldn't. I couldn't help myself. She dazzled me, and I stared at her, taking in how attractive she was.

Rose whispered something to her, and then her head shot up to look at me. I smiled at her, and she smiled back. Her face turned a gorgeous shade of pink as she flashed her perfect grin. She turned back to Rose, to continue their conversation.

The bell rang, and I realized that I would have to ask her about tryouts sooner or later and decided sooner was better. I walked behind her and touched her elbow to get her attention.

"Hey," I smiled, "Will you walk with me to physics?"

"Sure," she smiled back. I could feel my pulse quicken as I walked so close next to her.

"How's your head?" I asked.

Once again, her face blushed and she replied, "Um, fine, I guess." It's sad, but pink was definitely becoming my favorite color.

"Will told me what he did to you. We're pretty good friends, but he can be a real idiot sometimes," I laughed, knowing all too well the stupid things Will had done in the past.

"No, really, I'm okay," she grinned.

"So," I questioned, "did you think about trying out?" I couldn't help myself I had to know.

"Yeah. I think I'll go for it. You were quite convincing yesterday," she added with a smirk.

"Really? Great!" _Yes!_

"Hey, Bella." Angela walked by the table and smiled at Bella

"Hey, Angela." She flickered a smile back, and then looked over at me. I couldn't help but just smile at her. I was totally enthralled by her presence.

When the bell rang, I said, "See you in English," and got up to leave.

I was thankful my next class was study hall, so I didn't really have to focus on anything important. However, the class seemed to take forever. Each second was like an hour. I couldn't wait to get to English. I had to know more about her. The bell rang and I jumped out of my seat and ran to the door. I knew I would have to be fast in order to catch her going to English. I noticed her walking out of the next building and she paused and shivered, realizing how cold it was. I knew it was getting chilly, but it had to be worse for her, coming from Florida and all. I shrugged off my jacked as I walked up to her.

"Do you want my jacket?" I asked.

"Sure, thanks." She smiled and pulled on the coat, which was far too big for her to wear, but she didn't seem to mind.

"So, Juliet," I teased, knowing now that she _would_ get the part (after all, she was perfect for it), "tell me more about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"Everything."

"Like…." She questioned.

"Okay, like your favorite color."

"Probably….pink," she answered as we entered the English building.

"Your favorite flower?"

"Um, maybe a rose?" She looked confused by my questions, but I didn't care. I would always have questions for Bella. I wanted to know all there was to know about her. Sadly, the teacher started English class, so our conversation hit an end. When the bell finally rang, I said, "Well, I guess I'll see you in the auditorium for tryouts."

"Yeah, I'll see you later," her smile sparkled as we both stood to leave. Then it hit me, _Oh my God, tryouts._ I knew she would get the part, but what about me? _I _couldn't be the one to screw up. No way would another guy end up being Romeo.


	6. Bella: Doubtful

Chapter 6 (Bella): Doubtful

I walked to my locker in a daze, going over my lines in my head. I could feel the butterflies banging violently into the sides of my stomach. I realized that I walked right past my locker, and turned around, laughing at how nervous I was. When I made it back, I could not seem to remember my combination.

"Was it 32-02-30? No. Was it 30-02-32? No," I mumbled.

After finally remembering my code, 02-32-30, I pulled out my backpack and shoved in the books I needed for homework. I slammed the locker shut and made my way to the auditorium to seal my fate.

"Good afternoon," the play director, Mr. Wallace, greeted us as we all took our seats in empty chairs.

"Hey," someone whispered in my ear and made me jump. I turned to see who was talking to me, and found Edward, all smiles. I grinned back as my heart fluttered, and I couldn't remember what I was exactly doing in the auditorium. Then it hit me, and I felt sick.

"Okay, let's get started here," Mr. Wallace instructed. "Come up to me in a line and give me your name and the part you're going out for."

We filed up to the stage where he was standing, and he created a long list of people attempting each part. It sickened me to realize how many girls wanted to be Juliet. In my mind, I doubted my acting skills, and came to terms with the fact that there was _no way_ I would be Juliet in the play. I felt my heart sink as reality took effect.

Nevertheless, I gave Mr. Wallace my name, figuring that if I was already here, I might as well tryout.

"Okay," Mr. Wallace said, "let's get Julia and Michael up here first."

The partners walked onto the stage and performed the scene for us to view and Mr. Wallace to watch. Romeo, as Michael, wasn't that great of an actor, but Julia was astounding. Immediately, I knew I lost the part. I was almost in tears realizing how stupid I was to think that I could have made the part of Juliet.

In the midst of my sulking, the pair ended their scene, and Mr. Wallace called out a new couple, "Bella and Edward."

I drew away from my thoughts at hearing my name. Edward lightly touched my arm and said, "Here's our chance. Let's blow them away," with a radiant smile. I realized that I was still wearing his jacket from when he gave it to me before English, which made me feel even worse about myself. Was Edward depending on me to act well and get the part?

Too depressed to fret about how Edward felt, I tramped up to the stage; ready to make a fool of myself.

"Okay, we're going to have you guys do act five, scene three for Bella's part, and Edward, start with act two, scene one. Whenever you're ready," Mr. Wallace prompted. Edward blazed a smile at me, excited to tryout for the part. If I could only be so joyous. I was too upset to relish in the fact that Edward and I were partners.

We took our places on the stage, and Edward began with his lines.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." It played out almost exactly as my dream had. Edward was an incredible actor, and I knew he would get the part, which made me feel even worse about myself that I would let him down.

He finished his scene, and we moved onto mine. Romeo was already killed, and I had to recite the lines before Juliet killed herself.

I finished with, "O happy dagger, this is thy sheath," and pretended to stab myself. I had no problem conveying my misery, seeing as how I was suffering inside. I was shocked when the other students waiting to tryout started clapping and whistling when we were finished. I knew that I still had not been as good as Julia had, but maybe I wasn't half as bad as I thought.

"Hey, nice job!" Edward shouted over the crowd, "You were awesome!"

"You weren't so bad yourself," I responded, teasing him.

He smiled, "Well, we'll see what happens. Come on, let's go back and sit down."

"Um, actually, I have to leave, but I'll see you tomorrow?" I knew I didn't get the part, so I figured, why hang around the school?

"Don't you want to find out whose Romeo and Juliet?" The smile slid off his face.

"I'll find out tomorrow, I guess. See you later," I turned on my heel, but spun back. "Wait, here's your jacket back, sorry." I struggled to slide out of it, but he stopped me.

"Why don't you keep it for a while? I don't really need it," he slid the arms back up my shoulders and winked as he turned to walk back to his seat. Amazed, once again, by how gorgeous he was, I remembered that I could not just stand there, staring at nothing. I walked out of the auditorium and strode out to my car, smelling Edward's leather jacket the whole time.

Sorry for not updating for a while I've kinda been busy with school and all the upcoming test like the SAT's and AP Tests. But I hopefully will be updating more frequently.

Hmm should Edward and Bella be Romeo and Juliet or should I make only one of them get the part? I know the answer to that question but what do you think I'll do you will just have to wait and see.

**You know the deal Read&Review**

.Love ^_^ 


	7. Edward: Hpoeful

Chapter 7 (Edward): Hopeful

I half-ran to my locker, determined to get to tryouts as soon as possible. I quickly spun the combination on the lock and threw open the door. I yanked out my backpack, shoved some random books inside, and jogged towards the auditorium. I quickly ran through the lines of Romeo that I had practiced thousands of times over the past two days.

Incredibly, Bella still beat me into the auditorium. I made my way over to sit next to her when Mr. Wallace greeted us.

"Hey," I whispered to Bella as I sat down. Startled, she turned to see who addressed her, and I shot a smile in her direction. I could not help but smile whenever I saw her. She smiled back, and we turned to pay attention to the play director.

"Okay, let's get started here," Mr. Wallace instructed. "Come up to me in a line and give me your name and the part you're going out for."

We made a long line of students that ran up to the stage. I gave Mr. Wallace my name, and my part, as Romeo. Bella proceeded to give her name and the part Juliet, making my heart flip in my chest. We _had _to get these parts.

"Okay," Mr. Wallace said, "let's get Julia and Michael up here first."

Julia confidently walked up to the stage, and Michael trudged behind, reluctant to tryout for the part. He was clearly forced by Julia, and I hoped that I was not doing the same thing to Bella. It turned out that Michael wasn't that great, so my hopes rose as one opponent for the part of Romeo was knocked off the list in my mind. Julia, however, acted fairly well, and a pit grew in my stomach. What if I got the part of Romeo, and Bella wasn't Juliet? I decided to fret later, as Mr. Wallace called out the next pair of actors.

"Bella and Edward."

I tugged lightly at Bella's elbow and smiled, "Here's our chance. Let's blow them away." I noticed that she was still wearing my leather jacket, and I smiled harder.

"Okay, we're going to have you guys do act five, scene three for Bella's part, and Edward, start with act two, scene one. Whenever you're ready," Mr. Wayne prompted. I shot Bella one last grin for good luck and we took our positions on the stage.

I started off, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." I realized, ironically, that these were the exact lines from my dream.

I felt confident that I nailed the part. I had always received a main role in the school plays, so I was not too nervous about getting the part of Romeo. I was worried for Bella, but I soon learned that my worries were for naught.

As I lay down, pretending to be Romeo after he drank the poison, Bella ran through her lines, and spoke with such sadness, that it seemed like reality. She became Juliet and vividly reenacted the lines. She ended with, "O happy dagger, this is thy sheath," and pretended to stab herself. She fell to the floor, and immediately the other students watching jumped up, screaming and whistling. She was incredible. Overjoyed, I had a gut feeling that we would both receive our desired parts.

"Hey, nice job!" I tried screaming over the cheers, "You were awesome!"

"You weren't so bad yourself," she smiled back at me.

I grinned, "Well, we'll see what happens," even though I already felt confident in our performances. "Come on, let's go back and sit down."

"Um, actually, I have to leave, but I'll see you tomorrow?" I felt my heart drop with disappointment. Maybe she really didn't want to be here, and did not want to get the part of Juliet.

"Don't you want to find out whose Romeo and Juliet?" I asked.

"I'll find out tomorrow, I guess. See you later." She turned to go, but then twirled back. "Wait, here's your jacket back, sorry." She attempted to pull her arms out of the sleeves, but I stopped her.

"Why don't you keep it for a while? I don't really need it." I readjusted the jacket on her shoulders, and winked as I turned to go back to my seat. I couldn't help myself. It was just something a guy does, to let a girl know he cares about her. He gives her his jacket. It wasn't my Letterman jacket for football or anything (we did not have those yet for this year), but I could still sense her staring at my back. I just grinned, knowing I had somewhat gotten the message across.

I went back and took my seat, contemplating our chances at receiving the two lead parts as the other students performed in pairs. Finally, the last pair of students tried out, as did all of the students with minor parts, and Mr. Wallace had come to his decisions.

"Okay, um, for the part of Paris will be…" _Come on,_ I thought, _just get to the important part._

He carried on by stating the parts of all of the characters, and then finally stating Romeo and Juliet.

"Romeo will be played by Edward. Congratulations," he smiled. _Yes,_ I thought, _one down, one to go._

"And Juliet will be played by," I felt my stomach lurch at this point, "Bella Swan."

I let out a huge breath of relief and couldn't help but smile as Mr. Wallace dismissed the drama group. I walked out of the gym in a daze, nervous and excited, about the upcoming school play. I had always been enthused by being a part of Drama, but this feeling was entirely different.

I confidently strode out to my car and started the engine, letting the silent purr of the car help drown my thoughts and calm me down. I could feel the adrenaline pulsing thorough my veins.

When I made it home, I unlocked the door and walked into the house, seeing Steph sprawled across the couch.

"Hey Steph!" I beamed.

"Someone's in a good mood," she smirked back.

"Guess who's Romeo in the school play?" I cockily smiled.

"I believe, by the look on your face, that the question should more be 'Guess who's _Juliet_ in the school play?'"

I made a face at her, but couldn't help but smiling once again as I bolted up to my room and flopped down on my bed. After staring at the ceiling, just thinking, for a period of time, a wave of exhaustion hit me, and I fell asleep.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!" I rolled over, and reached for my alarm clock, but found that it was not there. I squinted open an eye to see where it had gone, to find Steph holding it right by my ear.

"Oh my God!" I jumped out of bed. "What time is it? What are you doing in my room?"

She smiled back, "You've been sleeping since you got home from school yesterday, bud. If I didn't wake you up, you'd probably still be asleep!"

"Crap! What time is it?" I spun around, snatching the clock from her hands.

"Time for you to get up and go to school, bud."

"What! I still have fifteen minutes!" I flopped back on the bed, in an attempt to fall asleep again.

"Just thought I'd be helping. See you at school," she said as she left my room.

Then everything from yesterday dawned on me once again. I could not wait to tell Bella that she had gotten the part with me. I realized that Bella still did not know. I quickly sat up in bed and had a brilliant idea.

I flew out of bed, brushed my teeth, and changed out of the jeans I was sleeping in from yesterday and into a fresh pair as well as a clean shirt. I bolted down the stairs and out the door in order to give myself enough time for my task. I got in my car, and drove off down State Street, then made a right onto another side street. I remembered that there was a small flower shop hidden further down the road. I pulled up, thankful that they were open early in the morning.

After parking the car, I walked up to the small building and opened the door, a little bell fastened to the top ringing.

"Hi, what can I get you?" a pleasant woman from behind the counter asked.

"Um, I have to get a flower for someone."

"Just one flower?"

I smiled, knowing a bouquet would not fit in a locker, "Yes, just one."

"Um, okay. What kind of _flower_ are you looking for?"

I scrambled through my brain, recalling a fact that Bella had mentioned. "A rose." Yes, that was it. Her favorite flower was a rose. "And preferably a pink one," her favorite color.

"I'll be back, let me check the greenhouse." The woman turned and walked towards a back room, while I had a look around the shop. It was small and cozy, with flower bouquets busting from the walls. Everywhere I looked, different arrangements were hanging.

"Will this do?" She held out a light pink rose, the attractive color of Bella's face when she lightly blushed.

"Perfect," I smiled. After paying for the flower, which took a considerable amount of time because the shop specialized in bouquets, I walked back out to the car, and drove to school, setting the single rose on the passenger's seat.

When I made it to school, I walked into the main building and headed for the office. I only went to the office when necessary because the room was so tiny that it made my head spin.

I walked in the door, and was heartily greeted by Mrs. Webb in the office. "Edward! Honey! What can I do for you?"

"Hi Mrs. Webb. I, er, need to ask you a favor," I made my most appealing smile, knowing this would be all too easy. Mrs. Webb seemed to have a soft spot for me, as did most of the female teachers at school.

"Anything! What's up?"

"Can you give me Bella Swan's locker and combo? I, um, need to put something in there for her."

She smiled at me knowingly, and said, "Sure, son. Hold on a second." She pulled out a big book with the student's names, lockers, combinations, and emergency information. Mrs. Webb skimmed through the names until she found Bella's. "She's locker 1144 and her combo is…well, let me write it down for you, so you don't forget." She winked and pulled out a piece of scratch paper and a pencil. She scrawled the code down and I thanked her as I left the office. When I stepped outside, I took in a deep breath, thankful to get out of the small space.

"Hey, Edward! Where've you been?" Ben called out.

"Oh, I, er, had to do something this morning. I gotta run. I'll see you guys at lunch!" I called back, and walked towards my car to get my backpack and the rose, then made my way to the English building, where her locker was.

After finally finding locker 1144, I quickly and nervously spun the combination, and after three tries, the locker opened with a "click." I placed the rose on the empty shelf of her locker, and pulled out a sheet of paper from my bag. I wanted to write her a note, but could not decide on what to put by still remaining mysterious. After finally deciding, I smirked and shut her locker, then quickly left the "scene of the crime."

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	8. Bella: Friendships

Chapter 8 (Bella): Friendships

_What did it mean that he gave me his jacket?_ I thought as I drove to school the following morning, Friday, once again smelling the leather of his jacket, which I was wearing over a snug long-sleeved black T-shirt. I was restless and anxious all morning because of the events at tryouts yesterday afternoon, and the addicting smell helped clear my head and calm my nerves.

I made it into the school and walked to my locker, spinning the dial to the numbers of my combo. I popped open the door and knelt down to shove my books onto the bottom shelf. There, I found a single rose, which was a beautiful light baby-pink. Underneath it, I found a note that read:

"_That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."_

_Congratulations, my Juliet._

I read and re-read the note, trying to understand its meaning. Did I get the part of Juliet? My heart fluttered and banged excitedly into my chest. I picked up the rose, and inhaled its sweet scent. I smiled, remembering the conversation I had with Edward yesterday. The flower had to be from him. I told him a rose was my favorite, and pink was my choice of color. I happily grinned, appreciative of this thoughtful gesture. Apparently, Edward was somewhat of a romantic…or just a great friend. I hoped it was the former.

I pulled out the books I needed for my morning classes and headed over to Spanish, carrying the rose and the note with me. I had to find out if I had truly received the part of Juliet in the play.

The bell rang, and our principal began first period announcements. He ended with, "The drama club will meet after school today to practice the play 'Romeo and Juliet.' Congratulations to Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen who will be playing the two lead roles." _Yes! _I was so happy that I'd made the part. I could not believe it.

"Nice job, Juliet!" Rose whispered to me, smiling. I grinned back, and let my thoughts drift back to the note Edward left in my locker.

What did he mean by "_my _Juliet"? That I was _his_? I smiled to myself, curious about the hidden meaning in his note.

Soon enough, the lunch bell rang, and I picked up my bag in study hall to leave when Tyler stopped me.

"Hey, where'd you get the flower?" he asked.

"Oh, um, someone put it in my locker this morning," I smiled and shrugged.

"Oh," he replied. "Whose jacket is that?"

"Its, um, Edward's," I stated, blushing.

"_Oh…_" he answered and dropped the subject, depressed by my answer.

We walked to the cafeteria, bought our lunches, and took our seats. As I sat down, Edward shot a smile at me from where he was sitting, and I flashed a grin back.

"Hey, Bella…what's up with the flower?" Angela asked, "And the jacket?"

"Oh, um…."

"What, whose jacket is it?"

"It's Edward's."

James slammed down his energy drink, "WHOSE?"

"Whoa. James, chill out," Rose smiled, "so is he like your boyfriend or something?"

I turned crimson, "No, we're just friends."

"Doesn't look like it," James spat out. "First he lets you wear his jacket and then he starts giving you flowers? What's up with this guy?"

"Well, he _obviously_ likes her," Alice said, rolling her eyes.

"No, he doesn't," I smiled. "Come on, guys, we're just friends."

"Whatever." James added with venom in his voice as the lunch bell rang.

As I stood up to leave, someone put their hands on my shoulders, making me unexpectedly jumped. I spun around and he put his hands on my shoulders once again, and started laughing.

"My God, Edward! Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?" I smiled and put my hand to my heart, even though I knew it wouldn't stop pumping so quickly until he took his arms off my shoulders.

"Well, I'm not _trying_ to, but I just enjoy scaring you a little," he said with a smirk and a wink.

I grinned back, and tapped him on the nose with the flower he gave me, "Thanks for the rose, Romeo." I winked back at him.

"Aw, come on! How'd you know it was me?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

"I'm pretty good at putting two and two together," I laughed.

"Well, then I'm glad you liked it, Juliet." His smile dazzled me, and I lost my train of thought. We started to walk together to physics class, and he continued his badgering of questions from yesterday, which he clearly did not finish.

"So, do you have any siblings?"

"I have a younger brother, named Jake."

"What grade is he in?"

"Eighth."

"Any pets?"

"One dog named Rocky. I used to have a fish, but, well, it didn't work out too well."

"You killed it!" He laughed.

"I didn't kill it," I replied, punching him in the arm. "My friend claimed I wasn't taking care of it, so she adopted my fish."

"She adopted your fish…," he added, making a joking face as if I was crazy. I made a face back at him, and he started laughing. "Okay, next question."

"Shoot."

"What is your favorite book?"

"Twilight."

"What's that about?"

"Well, it's, um, a romance," I blushed at saying this, "about a girl who falls in love with a vampire, and he loves her back. They try to make their relationship work out and overcome all the obstacles that come with being in love with a vampire. It's actually a really good book."

"I didn't know you liked romance books," he smiled.

"I'm a hopeless romantic," I grinned back.

"I'm somewhat of a romantic myself," he winked, and class begun.

I took what he said and tried to analyze it. So maybe he was trying to be romantic by letting me wear his jacket, and giving me the flower. I could not help but smile.

"What?" he whispered.

"Nothing," I turned and smiled at him, then turned back to doodling on my physics spiral.

When the bell rang, he got up and said, "See you in English."

"Catch you later." I walked over to history, and surprisingly paid attention in class. I figured that maybe Edward liked me a little. Maybe, and that was good enough for me.

The bell rang and I walked outside headed to English class. I was thankful to have Edward's jacket because it was chilly outside.

"Hey," his silky voice greeted me breathlessly from behind.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "Did anyone ever tell you how fast you walk?"

I blushed, "Yes, actually. I'll remember to slow down for you," I teased.

"Not that I won't keep chasing after you," he smiled, but it did not seem to touch his eyes.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's cool," he responded, but seemed distracted. We walked up to the English building, and he held open the door for me.

"Ladies first," he smirked as he guided me in by putting his other hand on the small of my back, sending shivers up my spine.

"So, are you going to the Varsity football game tonight?" he asked, his eyes pleading with me.

"Oh, I can't, sorry," I added regrettably, as I remembered. "I kind of already made plans with James."

"James Newmand?" He asked, and I noticed a flicker of anger in his eyes.

"Um, yeah, why?"

"Nothing, forget it."

"Did he say something to you?" I asked.

"Really, it was nothing," he turned and smiled, then added timidly, "So are you and James like…"

My eyes grew wide, "Dating? No," I laughed, "we're just friends. He's giving me a 'tour de Sacaton,'" I smiled.

"Oh, well, have fun. I guess," he smiled politely, but I could tell he was disappointed.

After the bell rang, ending class, I said, "You're going to play practice, right?"

"Of course," he smiled, "Can I walk you to your locker?"

"Yeah, but you really don't have to ask me," I grinned back, and he smiled shyly.

"Okay, so back to my questions, I guess."

"You still have more questions for me?"

"I will always have questions for you," he grinned playfully. "So what is your favorite kind of food?"

"Probably Italian."

"Are you Italian at all?"

"Well, I'm half Italian."

"What else are you?" he asked.

"I'm also Polish, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian."

"Wow. Cool," he smiled. "I'm part Italian, too." I smiled, knowing my mother would be oh so happy that I liked an Italian boy. "What are some of your hobbies?"

We had reached my locker at this point, and I answered him while bending down to grab the books I needed for homework. "Well, I'm pretty new here, so I'm not too sure what there is to do in this area. Back at home, though, I loved swimming and just going out with a group of my friends. But my _favorite_ thing to do, is definitely listening to music."

"I'm really into music, too!" He smiled, encouraged that we had something in common. "What's your favorite kind?"

"I'll really listen to anything except Country. But my favorite is probably Rock and some Alternative."

"Same here. What are some of your favorite bands?"

"Oh, God. I could go on forever!" He smiled, prodding for answers, so I continued. "I love All American Rejects, Paramore, Fall Out Boys, and like a million others. I really like the Fray, too. Besides them, I'm into smaller bands that you never hear of, like Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Feeling, Owl City, and Bloc Party. It's nice sometimes to get diversity, you know?"

"Yeah, definitely. Owl City's good, and I like the Fray, too. I actually have heard of the All American Rejects because of my sister. She loves them. Do you like Gives You Hell?"

"Who doesn't?" I laughed.

"Good question," he smiled back as he held open the door for me to the auditorium. The walk went so fast, I did not even realize that we were already there. "Just throw your bag over there," he pointed to a growing pile of bags, backpacks, and coats.

"How long have you been working in the school plays?" I asked him.

"I started in freshman year, and I've been a part of it ever since." We took our seats and waited for Mr. Wallace to instruct us. Today we just went over what the list of projects that had to be completed before the play. We had a lot of work ahead of us, even though the play was not until January. After practice, Edward walked me out to my car.

"So, what kind of car do you drive?" he asked when we walked out of the auditorium.

"It's a Honda Accord . What about you?"

"I've got a silver Volvo C30 ."

"You are so lucky! That's the kind of car I've been dying to get!"

"Really, well maybe I'll have to take you for a drive sometime," he winked.

"Maybe you will," I smirked back at him, and he sparked a smile. We reached my car and he opened the driver's seat for me as I slid in, and then lightly closed it. I lowered the window and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya," he smiled and jogged toward his car. I rolled up my window with a huge grin on my face. Suddenly, my cell phone started ringing in my bag. I fished through until I found it, and saw that it was James calling.

With a sigh, I flipped open the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, Bella."

"Oh, hey James."

"Hey, are we still on for tonight?"

"Yeah, sure. What time again?"

"I'll pick you up at five." I looked down at the clock on the dashboard. It was 3:15. I figured out how long it would take me to get home, change, and get ready.

"Five's fine."

"Okay, cool. I'll see you later."

"Oh, hey James?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Did you, by chance, say something to Edward?"

He chuckled darkly, "No, we're good."

"Um, okay. I'll see you at five." I could tell that he was lying by the bane in his voice. I clicked shut the phone and pulled away from the parking lot, putting on one of my favorite songs.

I pulled up to my house, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. I was about to walk up the stairs when my mom stopped me.

"Hey, honey! How was school?"

"Fine. I gotta go get ready, though, so can we talk later?"

"Sure, where are you going?"

"Um, James Newmand is taking me out somewhere."

"You're going on a date!"

"No, no, no. James my friend, ma. He's just showing me around Sacaton."

"Sounds like a date to me."

"Well, it's not, so drop it."

"Okay, well you have fun, honey. And nice jacket." With that, she walked back into the kitchen, leaving me staring dumbly at what I was wearing, realizing I had kept Edward's jacket on all day.

I walked into my room and threw in a mixed CD that one of my friends from Florida made me. I slipped out of my jeans and pulled on a fresh pair that was a whitewashed dark blue pair. I shrugged out of his coat and changed my shirt to a long sleeved maroon one. Before I knew it, my doorbell was ringing. I grabbed my purse and bolted down the stairs.

"See you later, ma!" I called out before leaving. "Hey, James," I smiled.

"Hey."

"So where are we going, exactly?"

"Around Sacaton. You need a proper tour of the town."

"I'm prepared for you to blow me away," I replied sarcastically. He just smiled in return as we both got into his car.

We drove around for a half hour as he showed me all of the streets, and I attempted to commit most of them to memory. Then we went to downtown Sacaton to walk around the area. He showed me the different restaurants, good and bad, and different stores. We went out to eat at a small restaurant designed inside to appear as a diner.

"So how's school going so far?" He asked me.

"It's going pretty good. I'm finally getting the hang of things."

"Well, that's good." He paused, and then added, "So what's up with Cullen?"

"What does that mean?" I responded defensively.

"Nothing, I mean, is he bugging you?"

"What?! No! Why would you say that? What's going on, James?"

"I don't know, I mean, whatever, just forget it."

"No, I can't just forget it, now what were you going to say?"

"Well, I mean, is he going to ask you out?"

"Oh, um, I don't think so. We're really just friends," I said, even though I hoped it was something more.

"Good."

"Why do you say that?"

"I just don't want him to ask you out, is all."

"Look, James," I realized I had to nip this in the bud. James kept expecting something more out of our friendship, and I was not ready for a commitment like that with him. "I really like being friends with you, and I don't want a further relationship to get in the way of that." I tried to lay it out nicely.

"Oh," he answered, his eyes clouding with disappointment. "I get it."

"But we can still be friends," I smiled.

"Yeah, sure," he answered, still upset. "I should probably get you home." He looked at his watch to find it was nine-thirty.

"Yeah, um, we can leave." I pulled out my wallet to pay for dinner, but he stopped me and told me that he would pay, despite my protests. We drove home in silence, and after what felt like forever, he pulled into my driveway.

"Thanks for tonight, I had a lot of fun," I grinned, trying to lighten his mood.

"Me too. See you Monday," he smiled slightly as I pulled myself out of the passenger's

seat. I unlocked the front door and went up to my room. I shut the door and banged my

head against the back as I skidded down to the floor, sighing. What was I going to do?

James was upset with me, and I could not decide if Edward liked me or not. I wanted to

just remain friends with one, and be more than that with the other

________________________________________________________________________

Finally I was able to update. Sorry school's been crazy. I should probably be able to update next week because it's Spring Break [Finally]. Heck yeah ^_^. Read & Review .Love.


	9. Edward: Her Friend

Chapter 9 (Edward): Her Friend

"The drama club will meet after school today to practice the play 'Romeo and Juliet.' Congratulations to Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen who will be playing the two lead roles." I made it in my seat in my first class just in time after sprinting there from Bella's locker. I rejoiced inside, once again hearing that Bella and I got the lead roles.

I spent most of the day staring into space, daydreaming. I was in another place entirely, and, thankfully, none of my teachers seemed to notice. The bell finally rang, and I made my way to the cafeteria for lunch. After waiting in line and sitting down, Bella eventually walked in with Tyler. I smiled at her when she sat down, and she grinned back.

Within a couple of minutes, James, heated by something Bella said, threw down his energy drink and shouted, "WHOSE?" I chuckled to myself, realizing that he was probably complaining about me. I watched for a while longer, and watched as Bella blushed, turning red.

"Hey," Will said, "is Bella wearing your jacket?"

"Yeah. I gave it to her because she was cold."

"Oh, I see how it is…," he smiled cockily, and I punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Watch it! You don't realize how strong you are!" He screamed back at me, and I grinned evilly.

The bell rang, and I walked over to Bella, putting my hands on her shoulders from behind. She lurched, and turned to see whom the stranger was, and I readjusted my hands on her shoulders. I could not help but crack up seeing how surprised she was. She was pretty gullible.

"My God, Edward! Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?" She flashed a radiant smile as she yelled at me, putting a hand to her heart.

"Well, I'm not _trying_ to, but I just enjoy scaring you a little," I smiled and winked at her.

She grinned back, and tapped me with the rose I put in her locker, "Thanks for the rose, Romeo," as she winked.

"Aw, come on! How'd you know it was me?" I teased.

"I'm pretty good at putting two and two together," she laughed.

"Well, then I'm glad you liked it, Juliet." We headed toward physics class, and I asked more questions to better understand her.

"So, do you have any siblings?"

"I have a younger brother, named Jake."

"What grade is he in?"

"Eighth."

"Any pets?"

"One dog named Rocky. I used to have a fish, but, well, it didn't work out too well."

"You killed it!" I laughed.

"I didn't kill it," She punched me jokingly in the arm. "My friend claimed I wasn't taking care of it, so she adopted my fish."

"She adopted your fish…," I made a face at her and laughed. Only Bella would let someone adopt her fish. That's something else I liked about her: she was unique. She was not like the other girls at Sacaton High. She did her own thing, and that made her even more beautiful in my eyes. "Okay, next question," I stated

"Shoot."

"What is your favorite book?"

"Twilight."

"What's that about?"

"Well, it's, um, a romance," she turned the light pink color that I adored, "about a girl who falls in love with a vampire, and he loves her back. They try to make their relationship work out and overcome all the obstacles that come with being in love with a vampire. It's actually a really good book."

"I didn't know you liked romance books," I smiled. Maybe my quirky tricks were working on her heart.

"I'm a hopeless romantic," she grinned.

"I'm somewhat of a romantic myself," I winked, letting her know what my intentions were, and class begun.

In the middle of class, I noticed that Bella started smiling. "What?" I whispered.

"Nothing," she turned towards me and smiled harder, then went back to drawing on her spiral.

"See you in English," I said as the bell rang.

"Catch you later."

I briskly made my way towards my study hall room, attempting to avoid the cold considering I was not wearing my jacket. Before I could make it inside, however, I was stopped as someone stood in my path.

"Hey," I looked up to see who addressed me, to find James, staring at me with anger in his eyes.

"Hey James, what's up?" I asked, curious as to why he would not move out of my way.

"Back off, got it?"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" I asked. Where was this sudden vengeance coming from?

"Stay away from Bella, or we're going to have a problem."

Stay away from Bella? I was already in far too deep to turn back now. "Well, it looks like we've already got a problem by how you're talking to me." No one was going to come and push me around like that. Where did this guy get off?

"Look," he said as he got right in my face, "you stay away from her, and I'll stay away from you."

"Well, you're going to stay away from me right now," I said as I pushed him out of my way, "and I'm not going to stay away from Bella, so deal." I continued walking to my study hall class.

I was fuming by the time I made it into the room. I had always hated James because he was such a jerk. I didn't know how Bella could not see that, but I was sure he probably put on an act for her. But he was _not_ going to pull that crap with me. He was lucky we were in school. If we were off-campus, I probably would have pounded his face in for talking to me like that. And what was his beef with Bella and me? He obviously liked her, but I mean, to try to start a fight to get to her?

"Bing!" The bell rang, ending study hall. I laughed to myself. I always did so much studying in study hall. I bolted out of the room, in an attempt to catch up to Bella.

"Hey," I said, breathlessly, as I found her in the mass of students walking to their classes.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," I smiled, "Did anyone ever tell you how fast you walk?"

Once again, she turned my favorite shade of pink, "Yes, actually. I'll remember to slow down for you," she mocked.

"Not that I won't keep chasing after you," I grinned.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's cool," I did not want to show her I was still upset about her jerky friend. We walked up to the English building, and I held open the door for her.

"Ladies first," I smirked and put my hand on her back as I led her into the building. "So, are you going to the Varsity football game tonight?" I asked hopefully.

"Oh, I can't, sorry. I kind of already made plans with James."

I could feel the anger boil up inside me at the thought of _him_ again. "James Newmand?"

"Um, yeah, why?" _I hate that guy,_ I thought, and wanted to tell her to keep away, that he was no good.

Instead, I just said, "Nothing, forget it."

"Did he say something to you?" She asked.

"Really, it was nothing," I smiled, and then a thought dawned on me. What if they _were _going out? I felt my stomach drop. I was definitely screwed. Why else would James approach me like that? I felt like hitting myself in the head, but continued to ask, "So are you and James like…"

Her sparkling eyes grew huge, "Dating? No," she giggled, "we're just friends. He's giving me a 'tour de Sacaton.'"

"Oh, well, have fun. I guess," I smiled. At least she was not dating the guy, but tonight she was still going to spend time with him, and I was sure he would say something bad about me. I hoped that she wouldn't listen.

After the bell rang, ending class, she asked, "You're going to play practice, right?"

"Of course," I smiled, "Can I walk you to your locker?"

"Yeah, but you really don't have to ask me," we both smiled.

"Okay, so back to my questions, I guess."

"You still have more questions for me?" She asked.

"I will always have questions for you," I grinned lightheartedly. "So what is your favorite kind of food?"

"Probably Italian."

"Are you Italian at all?"

"Well, I'm half Italian."

"What else are you?" I asked, and she proceeded to list off several nationalities.

"Wow. Cool," I smiled. "I'm part Italian, too. What are some of your hobbies?" I asked as she reached down to pull several books from the lower shelf of her locker.

"Well, I'm pretty new here, so I'm not too sure what there is to do in this area. Back at home, though, I loved swimming and just going out with a group of my friends. But my _favorite_ thing to do, is definitely listening to music."

"I'm really into music, too!" That was good. We had something in common. "What's your favorite kind?"

"I'll really listen to anything except Country. But my favorite is probably Rock and some Alternative."

"Same here. What are some of your favorite bands?"

"Oh, God. I could go on forever!" I smiled, trying to keep her talking. "I love All American Rejects, Paramore, Fall Out Boys, and like a million others. I really like the Fray, too. Besides them, I'm into smaller bands that you never hear of, like Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Feeling, Owl City, and Bloc Party. It's nice sometimes to get diversity, you know?"

"Yeah, definitely. Owl City's good, and I like the Fray, too. I actually have heard of the All American Rejects because of my sister. She loves them. Do you like Gives You Hell?" We were both clearly passionate about music, which was a good sign as far as conversation went.

"Who doesn't?" She laughed.

"Good question," I pulled open the door to the auditorium for her. "Just throw your bag over there."

"How long have you been working in the school plays?"

"I started in freshman year, and I've been a part of it ever since," I responded as we sat down for Mr. Wallace. Practice was short, and afterwards, I walked Bella out to her car.

"So, what kind of car do you drive?"

"It's a Honda Accord. What about you?" She questioned.

"I've got a silver Volvo C30."

"You are so lucky! That's the kind of car I've been dying to get!"

"Really, well maybe I'll have to take you for a drive sometime," I winked.

"Maybe you will," I felt my heart flip as I opened the door for her. She lowered her window and we said goodbye. I jogged over to my car, hopped in, and drove off home. I was still smiling from the thought of going out with her.

When I got home, I talked to Steph for a little about Drama club, and she teased me about Bella. In the midst of our conversation, my mother entered the room, splattered with paint all over her face.

"Hey, ma, you've got some shmuck," I teased as I wiped some paint off with my finger.

"Funny. So whose this girl, Eddie?" She put her elbows on the table and rested her face in her hands, smiling.

"Uh, she's the new girl who moved from Florida." I felt my face heat up, and knew what it must have felt like for Bella every time she blushed.

"Aw, Eddie's got a crush!" I absolutely hated when my mother called me that, and she knew, so she did it on purpose to annoy me.

"Ugg!" I screamed as I marched up the stairs to my room, because I could not think of anything better to say. When I made it into my room, I scrambled through my closet, searching for my jersey. "Hey, ma!" I screamed.

"What!"

"Where's my jersey!"

"Check the laundry room!"

"Thanks!" My family often had "screaming conversations." I walked back down the stairs and into the room, throwing clothes everywhere until I found my jersey. I went back upstairs and threw my bag together with my uniform for the game. Soon enough, it was time for me to leave for the game so I grabbed my stuff and jumped in the car, blaring music.

The whistle blew and the ball was kicked-off by the opposing team. I was disappointed that Bella was not going to the first Home football game. I looked up into the crowd to see if she was there, just to get disappointed all over again. She was out with _James_.

"Edward!"

"Yeah, Coach."

"Pay attention. You're in."

I threw on my helmet and trotted onto the field. _She's out with James._ I could once again feel the anger build up inside me. It kept growing and growing until I could not contain it any longer. I charged after the running back that had control of the ball, and ran into him dead-on. He tumbled to the ground, and the football flew up into the air. I jumped over the heap that he became and caught the ball. I bolted through the defensive players and kept running and running. I could feel all of my anger being let out at once, and that was propelling me forward. I ended up running 80 yards and making a touchdown.

"Woot! Woot!" My teammates hollered. I had just made the first score of the first Home game, and everyone was excited about it. I felt relieved to let all of my anger towards James out, but I felt bad for the guy I tackled. He had to be helped off the field; he was in so much pain.

After a hard-played game, Sacaton ended up winning. As I was driving home, my only regret was that Bella did not get to see it. I chuckled to myself. If James ever tried to pull something like that again, I would do the same to him that I did to the poor running back on the other team. Only worse. ________________________________________________________________________

Will James aggression get worse that just a confrontation? Will he fight Edward? Will he do anything to get Bella, even hurt her? Will Edward and Bella finally admit their feelings toward each other?

Hmm you'll just have to stick around to find out the answers to these questions. Some will be answered sooner and the others a little bit later.

Read & Review

.Love


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